Fire Department History

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Fire Department History
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Fire Department History

• Firefighting
• One of worlds most honored occupations
  and one of the most dangerous.
• Department Duty
• -Life Safety
• -Incident Stabilization
• -Property Conservation

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Fire Department History

• Old World and North America citizens kept
• containers of water
• ladder to reach the roof
• Bucket brigades used to put out fires
• Pilgrims brought firefighting methods to North
  America

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Fire Department History

• Industrial Revolution affected textile and steel
  industries
• Textile mills had catastrophic fires
• Iron and steel industries produced firefighting
  tools and equipment, especially pumping apparatus

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Fire Department History

• Cities and towns organized fire companies and
  fire departments
• Groups protected cities and towns
• Benjamin Franklin
• Organized one of the first groups
• Founded first fire insurance company

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Fire Department History

• Cities and towns organized fire companies and
  fire departments
• Groups were made up of military organizations and
  adopted rank structure
• Then, as today, majority of firefighters in North
  America were volunteers
• Evolved into todays fire departments

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3 Categories of Firefighters

• Career (salaried firefighters)
• Paid On Call (receive reimbursement for each run
  made)
• Volunteer (receive no compensation)

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Fire Dept. One of First Entities Called During
Emergency

• Fires
• Cave-Ins
• Building Collapses
• Auto Accidents
• Aircraft Crashes
• Natural Disasters
• Hazardous Materials Incidents
• Civil Disturbances
• Rescue Operations
• Explosions
• Water Incidents
• Medical Emergencies

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Fire Department History

• Necessary characteristics and behaviors
• Integrity
• Moral character
• Work ethic
• Pride
• Courage

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Fire Department Organization

• An organizational chart shows the structure of
  the department and its chain of command

Chief
Assistant Chief
Captain
Lieutenant
Lieutenant
Firefighters
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Chain of Command

• Pathway of responsibility from the highest level
  of the department to the lowest.

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Firefighters should be aware of four basic
organizational principles in order to operate
effectively as a team member

• Unity of Command
• Span of Control
• Division of Labor
• Discipline

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Unity of Command

• The principle that a person can report to only
  one supervisor.
• Directly, each subordinate reports to one boss
• Indirectly, everyone reports to the fire chief
  through the chain of command.

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Span of Control

• The number of personnel one individual can
  effectively manage.
• Rule of thumb is that an officer can directly
  supervise 3 to 7 firefighters effectively
• This number can change depending on the situation
  with which the officer is faced

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Division of Labor

• Dividing large jobs into small jobs. These small
  jobs are then assigned to specific individuals.
• Division of labor is necessary for the following
  reasons
• To assign responsibility
• To prevent duplication of effort
• To make specific and clear cut assignments

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Discipline

• Purposes of discipline in a fire department
• Educate and train
• Correct inappropriate behavior
• Positive motivation
• Ensure compliance
• Provide direction

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Standard Operating Unit of the Fire Service
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Engine Company

• Engine company Deploys hoselines for fire
  attack and exposure protection

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Truck Company

• Truck company Performs forcible entry, search
  and rescue, ventilation, salvage and overhaul,
  provides access to upper levels

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Rescue Company

• Rescue/squad company Removal of victims from
  areas of danger or entrapment

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Brush Company

• Brush company Extinguishes wildland fires and
  protects structures in wildland/urban interface

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Haz-Mat Company

• Hazardous materials company Responds to and
  mitigates hazardous materials incidents

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EMS / Specialized Rescue

• Emergency medical/ambulance company Provides
  emergency medical care to patients
• Special rescue company Responds to and performs
  technical rescue

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Fire Company Continued

• A company consists of
• Company Officer(s)
• Driver / Operator(s)
• One or more firefighters

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To Perform effectively, a firefighter must have
certain knowledge and skills including

• Meet the requirements of National Fire Protection
  Association (NFPA) Standard 1001, (Standard for
  Firefighter Professional Qualifications.
• Know department organization, operation and
  Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) / Standard
  Operating Guidelines (SOG).
• Know the district or city street system and
  physical layout
• Meet minimum health and physical fitness standards

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Emergency Medical Services

• If fire department personnel do not provide EMS
  or medical transportation, they should develop a
  relationship with those who do
• Firefighters must have appropriate level of
  first-aid training

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Interacting with other organizations

• Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
• Depending on the set-up of your dept your
  SOPs, firefighting personnel must work very
  closely with EMS personnel.
• Many FFs are also EMS trained perform both
  functions.
• Hospitals
• During special incidents, hospital personnel may
  be called to the scene.

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Utility Companies

• Many incidents involve utility providers
  (electricity, natural gas, and water) so fire
  personnel must have a good working relationship

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Interaction with Media

• NIMS-ICS includes a Public Information Officer
  for dealing with the media
• Students should not make comments or express
  opinions refer to PIO
• Can play an important role in delivery of news
  based on an incident

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Other Interactions

• Any possible contacts should be identified and a
  relationship established
• Examples Public health departments,
  coroner/medical examiners officers, EPA

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Fire Department Regulations

• Policy A guide to decision making within an
  organization
• Procedure Describes in writing the steps to be
  followed
• Order
• Directive

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Fire Department Regulations

• Order Based upon a policy or procedure
  compliance is mandatory
• Directive Not based upon a policy or procedure
  a request or suggestion

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Standard Operating Procedures

• Provide a standard set of actions that are the
  core of every firefighting incident plan.
• May vary considerably in different localities,
  but the principle is usually the same
• Should follow the most commonly accepted order of
  fireground priorities
• Life Safety
• Incident Stabilization
• Property Conservation

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Standard Operating Procedures

• Lessen confusion of fire scene
• Safety is a top priority when designing SOPs
• SOPs should be applied to all situations,
  including medical responses.

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Watch this video, this is why we have SOPs

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v8f66tK0rByI

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Firefighter Safety

• Firefighting is one of the worlds most dangerous
  jobs accidents in this profession can result in
  costly losses.
• In order to prevent these losses, it is necessary
  to prevent the accidents that cause them.
• Reducing accidents will save lives money.

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Summary

• The fire service has a long and proud history of
  protecting communities. Todays fire service
  often performs functions such as emergency
  medical services, technical rescues, and
  hazardous materials mitigation.

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Summary

• Firefighters must have certain aptitudes and
  capabilities. The job of firefighter required
  dedication and hard work but it is also
  rewarding.

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You may notice we skipped the Incident Management
Portion of this Chapter. You will have an
entire class covering ICS.